Tagged beach wedding

It’s been a very long time since I’ve blogged – you figure I would’ve done that during the off-season. Instead, I took care of my health and spent a whole lot of time with my boys and family.

Now that wedding season is here and I’m back in my office until all hours of the morning, I’m going to share the most special wedding I have ever photographed with you.

This wedding is not any ordinary wedding. It’s the wedding of my sweet cousin Nikki and her incredible man, Alex. They way he looks at her (you’ll see) is the sweetest. He’s a man of integrity, loves deeply, and has an amazing sense of humour. To sum it up – he’s a perfect match for Nikki and for our family. Alex and Nikki are high school sweeties and we’ve all loved Alex for a long time. We’ve all known that this day would eventually come along, and when it did, let me tell you… there were tears. So. Many. Tears.

Nikki looked so beautiful in the sweetest Anais Anette dress from The Modern Bride. This pair love to travel so it made sense to have a destination wedding. They chose the Iberostar Paraiso Beach Resort in Mexico and it was the most beautiful resort ever! Everything was wonderful (can I go back now??)! Because Nikki wanted to make sure we all cried a ton, she wore our late grandmother’s pearl ring and used her handkerchief to wipe away her tears.

Admittedly… I am a crier. At every wedding. I love my couples and become very invested in their love. THIS WEDDING THOUGH?? I’d never photographed the wedding of a family member and emotionally, it was more challenging than I had anticipated. To be able to preserve these memories for my family – beyond priceless.

Nikki and Alex – thank you SO MUCH for involving me in your special day. Bringing our family and your closest friends (who are now my family whether they like it or not) together was the most amazing gift.

I’m going to share one of my favourite weddings of the season! It’s one of my favourite for many reasons including… Danielle and Dave = Awesome. They’re just the most easy-going down-to-Earth people and their wedding party… absolutely hilarious! There were a lot of laughs, spilled champagne and incredible dance moves all day!

September weddings in the Okanagan are insanely beautiful. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… September light is the best. The best.

Danielle and Dave started their day getting ready with their friends in separate cabins at Ponderosa Point Resort in Kaleden. Ponderosa Point is a small little cottage resort on Skaha Lake. All of the cottages are privately owned and the resort has that carefree feeling that reminds me of my childhood vacations. Danielle & Dave are from the area, but with friends and family in mind, turned their local wedding into an Okanagan Destination Wedding. The sun was shining and the wind was blowing. Really blowing. Dorothy in Kansas style wind here.

The ceremony took place overlooking the lake and the wind did not relent. Wind or no wind, the ceremony was beautiful. Dave shed a tear or ten while Danielle walked towards him.

After the ceremony and a few celebratory beverages, we headed to The Old Kaleden Hotel for some wedding party portraits. During this portrait session, I let the groomsmen pick their own pose and let’s just say… they chose an interesting pose! I’m thinking about hiring them as my creative directors at weddings from now on! (That’s a joke!)

The real party started the moment the reception began. Dinner was made by Flambé Catering and it was so delicious! Grandma provided the pies for desert alongside donuts and s’mores! Following dinner, a wild dance party ensued until late in the night!

Just kidding!! Craig and Tiffany got married at the Sandos Caracol Eco Resort in Mexico. It has got to be one of the most beautiful resorts in Mexico. Their ceremony took place on the Cenoté in the middle of the resort – a little ceremony island that is one of the best ceremony locations of all time! The reception took place on a rooftop patio overlooking the beach. If I could live in Mexico and photograph weddings, I would. I really, really would.

If you need a little break from all this snow that is currently falling, feel free to look at this post, admire these beautiful people, the beaches, the sun, and the MONKEYS! And then immediately book your destination wedding. And then call me. 🙂

This wedding is a special one for me. Whether intended or not, there was a theme to this wedding and it was a theme that involved all things that are the most important to me. Love, family, and friends who are family.

From the first day we spoke, I knew that Amarjit and John would be a couple I would fall in love with. I knew the their wedding would be one to stand out in my mind for a long, long time. Not because of the decor, the venue, the food (all of which were incredible, by the way!), or any other detail, but because they made me feel like a member of their family.

Speaking of decor, Amarjit designed every aspect of her wedding and made the decor herself, with the help of friends and family. Which is unbelievable and she should really consider a career change 🙂

It was no surprise to me that Amarjit and John comprised their wedding party of their children, nieces and nephews. Their ceremony was set up so that their guests surrounded them, conveying a sense of love and inclusion. A wedding is traditionally symbolic of two families uniting, becoming one big family. Their wedding reflected that their families had already become one, long before their wedding day and that each person in attendance was an important part of their family.

Amarjit and John – I hope you know how truly important your family is to me. How special it was for me to photograph your wedding and provide you with memories that you can look back on for a lifetime. Your family is beautiful and special, in a way that I can’t put into words. Thank you for everything <3